


Reunited

by Shewritingstuff



Category: The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Darklina - Freeform, F/M, King of Scars, Lovers, Resurrection, Reunion, post king of scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shewritingstuff/pseuds/Shewritingstuff
Summary: How I imagine The Darkling and Alina’s reunion
Relationships: Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky, The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova & Zoya Nazyalensky, The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova/Nikolai Lantsov/Alina Starkov
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	Reunited

Alina’s sleep had been restless for the past couple of months. And when she had talked to Nikolai about her fears and worries, he and everyone at the little palace had assured her that everything was going smoothly. And yet she felt something amiss. The air felt thicker, the sun dimmer and the night darker. She couldn’t quite explain it without seeming insane. Completely out of it. She couldn’t scare Mal like that, not after all they’ve been through. How badly they have both suffered. 

Alina stood outside the front doors of the orphanage. Facing the hills and trees, the cold night air blowing through her white hair. She was looking at the darkness, her mind playing tricks on her. Giving them shapes that immediately dissolved into nothingness. Squinting at the darkness, she saw the air take the shape of a man and then just as quickly it was gone. Alina closed her eyes, crossing her arms and resting her back against one of the pillars. Sunlight used to be her friend, but once that part of her died she found herself relating more to the darkness. The darkness always kept her secrets, and Alina kept its secrets in return. Not many people knew the language of the night; they never stayed long enough to watch it depart to understand it. 

She felt the knuckles of two fingers stroking her cheekbone, the breath of someone so close to her lips. 

“Alina” The voice came from behind her, startling her into opening her eyes and turning around. Mal stood in front of the now opened door, the light from inside illuminating him. His hair was a mess, slightly longer than he usually kept it. His wife always cut his hair, but now that she was pregnant Mal wouldn’t let her so much as lift a finger or do anything on her own. 

She managed a weak smile “Is Bell okay?” 

He quickly nodded “Yes yes, she’s fine. I was just worried about you. You’ve been out for four hours. You’ll catch a cold” 

“I’m okay. I just like the dark” from the look on his face Alina knew he didn’t like that she said that, but he knew better than to voice an unwanted opinion.

“Okay..” he was silent for a few seconds and then walked closer wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You can like the dark in your room. It’s warmer in there” there was nothing else for Alina to say and so with a last look behind her she walked beside Mal, into the orphanage and back inside her room where she turned all the lights off, locked the windows and shut the curtains. Allowing the darkness keep her company once more. 

************************

Alina was up and ready by the time the sun was up, she didn’t want to attract too much attention and so she didn’t alert anyone by her departure to the palace. This time she would go unannounced, she didn’t need Nikolai and Zoya to worry about her, they always acted as if she were fragile and couldn’t handle it. She was no longer the Sun Summoner, but she was still the same girl who had killed The Darkling, she was the girl who ended the war after losing a part of herself. And she wasn’t going to hide again, she was sick of hiding. Hearing her name in prayers every day was starting to sicken her. She wasn’t a saint, she couldn’t heal the sick, she couldn’t help in a fight by merely the mention of her name. Alina was ready to do more, she craved it and there was something inside of her that felt incredibly awake all of a sudden, and it demanded of her to get up and move. 

She always had a hard time getting in the palace when the guards were new, but lucky for her the trusted guards recognized her immediately, took her horse and led her inside. Her first thought was to go to the meeting room, a room that used to belong to the Darkling. Her heart was pounding beyond reason. She never went there after she fled the palace. And when she did rarely come here, it was never in the meeting room. Nikolai had always made sure of it. But now Nikolai wasn’t supposed to know of her arrival and so she braced herself and knocked on the door. Maybe it was too early, and Nikolai was asleep. Perhaps she should’ve went to his rooms first. Before she could turn around the door opened, and a head peeked out. His eyes wide. “Alina!” He whispered her name so no one else could hear, his cheerful demeanor well intact. His grin just as wide as she’s used to. 

“I want to talk to you about something” she hoped her voice was as strong as she intended it to be. He looked behind him, and then closed the door a bit more. Alina frowned but didn’t ask, it wasn't her business who he was hiding. 

“Now?” That was very unlike Nikolai. He’d never question why she’d want to talk. 

“Is Zoya in there?” 

“Yes!” He answered way too quickly. 

“Good, let’s go in. I want to talk to her as well” Alina was ready to push the door open but Nikolai, replied, panic and worry in his voice. 

“We’re in a very inappropriate state” he was fully clothed in front of Alina 

“Huh..” something was going on and it’s not whatever Nikolai was trying to hint at, he wasn’t disheveled, every single hair was exactly how it was supposed to be. 

Alina pushed the door, taking him by surprise and not giving him a chance to attempt to fight back. His hands were against her shoulders in an instant; turning her around. 

“Let’s go to my room” Nikolai said the minute another person said “Hello” 

Alina paused trying to fight Nikolai off her, she was hallucinating again. This is great, this is absolutely great. Her hallucinations were usually at nighttime; but the sun was fully up now. Saints, she was losing her mind. And she didn’t even need Nikolai to tell her that. 

“Care for some tea” it was that voice again.  _ His _ voice. 

“I can explain,” Nikolai said. Alina turned around. 

He was there, sitting on a couch. empty cups of tea and plates filled with colorful biscuits on the table in front of him. Documents piled up all around his space. He smiled at her “And so you finally answer my calls. It was getting a bit draining, Alina” 

Nikolai turned around to face him “your what?” 

The Darkling rolled his eyes at that and looked at Alina as if Nikolai didn’t speak. “You see, your dear king here feared for my feelings, he simply did not want me to meet my murderer but here we are” 

“Let’s talk outside” Nikolai spoke, a hand on Alina’s shoulder as if to guide her outside. She didn’t budge. 

“You were supposed to be dead” Alina couldn’t keep her voice down, 

“And you were supposed to be _ the  _ Sun Summoner” How he kept his cool, Alina didn’t know. Alina didn’t say anything to that, Nikolai gave up on trying to escort Alina out, and took a seat beside the Darkling. A sight Alina never assumed could be possible. 

“Come on, Alina, don’t be scared” The Darkling smiled raising his restraint hands in front of his face “Your villain is of no threats” 

“That is yet to be determined” Nikolai said removing old looking papers away from the Darkling’s lap. 

The Darkling shrugged “I won’t turn off your precious lights, Sobachka” 

Nikolai looked exhausted, he didn’t even look mad at what the Darkling had just said “He doesn’t shut up..at all, and I thought  _ I _ talked a lot”

Alina took a seat on the couch opposite the two, not speaking a word. And only looking between them. She didn’t know what to ask. The Darkling looked somehow younger, lighter. And it scared her how alive he looked, even a grave couldn’t hold him in for long. And Nikolai didn’t seem scared at all, he was sitting beside him as if they were old friends that haven’t seen each other in long, and yet their dynamic never changed. 

“How is he alive?” was the first thing Alina said. 

“Cult, Saints, remains of his powers. It’s complicated. But he’s here” Nikolai said. The Darkling was about to open his mouth to speak but someone opened the door, and a few seconds later Zoya was inside. 

“My favorite student” The Darkling smiled again, and unlike Nikolai; Zoya seemed angered. Finally, someone with common sense. 

“Shut it” she spoke, and sat farther away from the two. Once she was settled, she flipped her black hair off one shoulder and continued “I’ll make you swallow your tongue and then boil you from the inside” 

His lips lifted up into a grin “Do it”

Nikolai sighed “Zoya, stop” his voice was soft when he spoke to her, and then he turned to the Darkling “You. Quit it. You know you're too valuable to die, right now” his voice was harsh, The Darkling didn’t look intimidated. 

“And you know I wouldn’t care if you killed me. All of this” he looked around “I don’t care. You all need me, and it scares you” 

Everything didn’t make sense to Alina, he was there. Alive, and obviously helping them do something that she was not aware of. She got off the couch, began to pace. She knew their eyes were following her.

“So it was really you...you came to me at night” Alina’s words were directed at the Darkling, and he knew that. The other two looked surprised. Something they weren’t aware of. They weren’t the only ones with secrets. 

The Darkling shrugged “You wanted to be here. I was simply leading you. How did it make you feel to live on a farm, completely nameless and powerless? Are you enjoying the price of your sainthood” he cocked his head to the side. “Tell me how many times did you wish to kill one of those who stole a spark of your power, to test your theory on whether you can have it back or not,” he smiled and said “But you’re all just too honorable to act upon your thoughts” 

Alina had her hand in a fist by her side, she hoped for just an ounce of her powers to put him in his place. But Zoya was angered enough that a hot gust of air had knocked all there was on the table. The Darkling didn’t even flinch. 

Nikolai closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. “Zoya, take Alina and explain to her all what we know. Or stay here if you wish us not to save Grisha.  _ Your _ people” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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